Page 24 of Maddox

A rumble caught my attention and I hung back, searching the road leading to the area. Engines. Fuck. That’s what I was hearing. Several vehicles were approaching.

I backed away, fighting fear and rage.

Maria and the others flanked my side, all of us staring at the road. When we noticed headlights, Kyle groaned. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.”

“Get back,” I told them. “We need to find somewhere to hide.”

We were too late. Within seconds, several vehicles came into view. As men jumped out, I noticed the assault rifles. Oh, my God.

“Run!” I yelled, turning immediately.

All four of us scattered.

Pop! Pop!

The booming sounded pounded in my ears. It was close. Almost immediately everything drifted into slow motion. I turned around, throwing my arms out as I screamed Mark’s name.

His eyes opened wide just seconds before bullets slammed against his back, the force pitching him in my direction. I knew I was screaming. I could feel the vibrations in my throat. The second he tumbled only feet away from me, Kyle grabbed my arm.

“Char, we need to get out of here.”

He jerked me backward, but I could barely move. “Maria. Maria!”

Somehow, I started running, trying to keep up with Kyle.

Gunfire was all around us, screams heard coming from every direction. They were killing the people in the village.

No.No!

Kyle suddenly dropped. I spun around, reaching for him.

“Go!” he shouted. “Just go.”

More gunfire, Kyle’s body riddled with bullets. Blood sprayed across my legs. My heart raced as I bolted forward, seeing Maria only yards away. As soon as I reached her, a soldier grabbed her arm, holding a handgun to her head.

With a grin on his face, the bastard pulled the trigger.

CHAPTER 8

Maddox

“Change in plans.”

Gray’s voice was muffled by the roar of the plane’s slowing engines as the pilot continued descending. Almost three days had passed since Gray had stepped foot into the bar asking for my help. During that time, I’d spent hours creating a plan of action with two alternate scenarios. I’d read as much on the woman from accomplishments to background information I’d been able to find. I’d studied her itinerary and spoken to her editor at theChicago Sun, who’d indicated Charmaine was stretching approved details of her assignment.

While he hadn’t called her rogue, I’d gotten the feeling her initial approved stories were possibly cover. Did she honestly expect she had any hopes of bringing down the Alfaro Cartel? After that, the man hadn’t proven helpful. At least he’d been told point blank she and her colleagues were leaving the country.

I snorted from the thought. It was obvious the woman had balls. In my world, anyone who was arrogant was usually careless.

Still, the information Gray had provided on her had given me a better understanding of how driven she was. She certainly wasn’t averse to putting herself in the middle of a difficult situation. She’d held her own with high-ranking politicians, judges, and even the occasional movie star. What I’d found most interesting was that she allowed them to slither their way into admitting a wrongdoing by allowing them to talk. She knew exactly which buttons to push and how hard.

That’s why she’d won so many awards. That’s also why I’d venture a guess she had so many enemies. From what her editor and boss had told me, she’d experienced her share of threats.

However, the extraction was because of all the dangerous men and women she’d interviewed or provided an exposé on, messing with the El Salvadoran Cartel was by far the most treacherous assignment.

“What the fuck do you mean a change in plans?” I barked as I stared out the window. Returning to El Salvador had put both my mind and body on edge. While the country was considered ‘friendly’ to tourists from the United States, anyone known to be working for the military often had a target on their backs.

Plus, I had personal experience with Fernando Alfaro and his tactics when handling his enemies. It wasn’t something I wanted to repeat.

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